Legislative Advocacy

The San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) maintains a careful watch on emerging issues or trends that could impact the families and individuals the agency assists through its three major program functions: providing rental assistance; creating and preserving affordable housing; and addressing homelessness.

SDHC’s goal is to demonstrate that SDHC’s partnership developments revitalize neighborhoods and strengthen community fabric by providing families with safe, affordable places to live.

Federal

U.S. Congressional Briefing – April 30, 2018

The federal “Moving to Work”(MTW) program’s essential role in SDHC programs to address homelessness in the City of San Diego was the focus of SDHC President & CEO Richard C. Gentry’s presentation at a Congressional briefing held in the Rayburn House Office Building.

With MTW flexibility, SDHC has committed more than 3,600 federal rental housing vouchers to address homelessness with the “housing first” approach—to provide housing as quickly as possible, with supportive services as needed.

HOUSING FIRST – SAN DIEGO, SDHC’s homelessness action plan, includes federal rental assistance, innovative partnerships with San Diego State University and a local school that serves families with children that experience homelessness, as well as the investment of millions of dollars toward the creation of permanent supportive housing units.

Five additional speakers at the briefing addressed the results of a study of performance measures for MTW programs, as well as topics such as health care, improving educational outcomes of low-income children, rent reform, and increasing employment opportunities and economic self-sufficiency.

This briefing was co-hosted by the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA), National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO), and Public Housing Authorities Directors Association (PHADA).

SDHC’s rent-reform initiative, Path to Success, was approved by HUD on June 21, 2011, in SDHC’s Fiscal Year 2012 MTW Annual Plan, and was implemented on July 1, 2013.

Mr. Gentry testified that San Diego’s experience has shown that rent reform—including setting minimum rents and utilizing calculations based on income ranges—effectively encourages rental assistance participants to become more financially self-reliant and provides the support they need to do so.

The San Diego model in SDHC’s Path to Success initiative exemplifies the type of reasonable, measured rent-reform approach that would benefit the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance program and its participants moving forward.

Federal Fiscal Year 2019 Appropriations – March 14, 2018

SDHC sent a letter to U.S. Representative Scott Peters, asking Congress to allocate adequate funding in Fiscal Year 2019 for federal Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance and HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) funds.

HUD awards HOME funds to the City of San Diego, and SDHC administers them. HOME funds support rental housing production, first-time homebuyer assistance, property rehabilitation and tenant-based rental assistance that households can receive for a maximum of 24 months.

Under President Donald Trump’s proposed Fiscal Year 2019 budget, funding for HUD would be $6.8 billion, or 14.2 percent, less than the annualized funding levels under the federal continuing resolution for Fiscal Year 2018.

Congressional Hispanic Caucus – Housing Forum – September 8, 2017

SDHC President & CEO Richard C. Gentry was one of only seven housing authority executives across the country who were invited to participate in the National Housing Forum convened by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on September 8, 2017.

This forum, which included U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco and staff for U.S. Representative Juan Vargas of San Diego, discussed affordable housing needs and the status of the Federal budget for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

U.S. Representative Adriano Espaillat of New York, the Chair of the Caucus’s Transportation, Infrastructure and Housing Task Force, invited Mr. Gentry to the forum.

National Moving to Work Conference – April 20, 2017

SDHC President & CEO Gentry introduced HUD Secretary Dr. Ben Carson and participated in a panel discussion with him about the Federal Moving to Work (MTW) program.

Secretary Carson emphasized the importance of encouraging innovative programs, such as MTW, as well as developing the workforce and providing educational opportunities for Federal rental assistance recipients.

U.S. Congressional Staff Briefing – February 21, 2017

At the invitation of the J. Ronald Terwilliger Foundation for Housing America’s Families, SDHC President & CEO Gentry spoke to U.S. Congressional staff in Washington, D.C., on February 21, 2017, about the state of affordable housing in the United States and SDHC’s unique approach to address the housing needs of low-income San Diegans.

SB 2 creates an ongoing source of funding for the development of affordable housing by establishing a $75 recording fee on real estate transactions, excluding home and commercial sales. The maximum total fee would be $225 per parcel. This would generate about $250 million per year.

SB 3 places a $4 billion housing bond on the statewide ballot for November 6, 2018.

SDHC President & CEO Gentry joined San Diego City Councilmember Chris Ward and San Diego County Supervisor Ron Roberts to co-author a commentary in Support of SB 2 and SB 3, published by Voice of San Diego on August 21, 2017.

SDHC developed this report in collaboration with City Councilmembers Scott Sherman and David Alvarez, Chair and Vice Chair, respectively, of the City Council’s Smart Growth & Land Use Committee.

This new report is the next step in a process that SDHC started nearly two years ago when it published its report, Addressing the Housing Affordability Crisis: An Action Plan for San Diego, which included 11 recommended actions at the local, state and federal level to reduce costs and increase housing production.

Housing Action Day – July 24, 2017

On July 24, 2017, the San Diego City Council held a special meeting known as “Housing Action Day.”

SDHC presented an informational report about the agency’s affordable housing initiatives, including: the actions taken on the recommendations in SDHC’s report Addressing the Housing Affordability Crisis: An Action Plan for San Diego; Assembly Bill 1637, introduced by Assemblymember Todd Gloria; and the proposed San Diego Affordable Housing Transit-Oriented Development Fund.

The City Council approved Municipal Code amendments to the City’s Affordable Housing/In-Fill Housing and Sustainable Buildings Expedite Program and to encourage the construction of companion units, also known as accessory dwelling units, or “Granny flats.”

Select Committee on Homelessness – June 21, 2017

SDHC President & CEO Gentry presented the details of the next phase of HOUSING FIRST – SAN DIEGO at the first meeting of the City Council’s Select Committee on Homelessness on June 21, 2017.

Over the next three fiscal years (2018-2020), SDHC will direct $79.7 million in Federal, City of San Diego and SDHC resources for six programs to provide permanent housing opportunities for 3,000 homeless San Diegans.

Mayor’s “Housing SD” Plan Announcement – June 21, 2017

SDHC President & CEO Gentry joined Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer for the announcement of the Mayor’s “Housing SD” Plan on June 21, 2017.

“Housing SD” includes a variety of reforms and incentives to produce more housing that is affordable for low- and middle-income families to address the City’s housing crisis.

The recommended actions in SDHC’s report Addressing the Housing Affordability Crisis: An Action Plan for San Diego align with many of the Mayor’s proposals.

City Councilmembers Scott Sherman and Chris Ward and former Mayor Jerry Sanders, who currently serves as President & CEO of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, were also among the speakers at the Mayor’s news conference.

Special City Council Meeting on Homelessness – March 20, 2017

The proposed programs for the next phase of HOUSING FIRST – SAN DIEGO were presented by SDHC President & CEO Gentry at the San Diego City Council’s March 20, 2017, special meeting on homelessness, called by Council President Myrtle Cole.

In addition, Mr. Gentry discussed the efforts of the Regional Task Force on the Homeless, including the implementation of the Coordinated Entry System and the development of a regional homelessness plan.

Housing Summit – January 25, 2017

Public-private partnership solutions identified by SDHC to address the housing crisis in the City of San Diego were the focus of SDHC President & CEO Gentry’s presentation to the San Diego City Council Smart Growth & Land Use Committee’s Housing Summit on January 25, 2017.

The SDHC solutions included: the programs of the first three years of HOUSING FIRST – SAN DIEGO, SDHC’s homelessness action plan (2014-2017), and the 11 recommended actions included in SDHC’s 2015 report, Addressing the Housing Affordability Crisis: An Action Plan for San Diego.

San Diego City Councilmembers Scott Sherman and David Alvarez, the Chair and Vice Chair, respectively, of the Smart Growth and Land Use Committee, convened the Housing Summit.